April 11, 2012
The last voyage of the Caribbean season was upon us and things felt a little strange. First, we knew that our dependable routine was about to change. Second, we weren’t sure how much we were looking forward to our upcoming six day Atlantic crossing once this cruise was over. But the seasons change on land and they do for us, as well.
The first odd part of this final winter season voyage was that the Turnaround was so easy. After five months sailing out of Bayonne, NJ, we seemed to really have the process down. The work that at the start of the season would take a full day with no breaks resulting in exhaustion after 14+ hours ending after 8pm in the evening had become transformed to a fairly comfortable work day. All crew sign offs and ons were processed by noon. This allowed time for administrative tasks, normally reserved for the evening, to be accomplished before we brought our sign-ons back together for their pre-departure and medical training at 2:30pm. We were so relaxed that Tim and I decided to grab a freshly grilled hamburger for lunch up on the pool deck before the guests came on in force. By 5pm, we were essentially complete for the day and decided to bring to an end one of the shortest work days of my contract. (Okay, in fairness we started at 6:00am with only the half an hour meal break, so it was still a 10 ½ hour day!)
To celebrate we chose to have an early team dinner at Bistro on 5, our creperie. We changed into our evening uniforms and arrived just after 5:30pm, less than a half an hour after we had left port. Five minutes into our dinner, things became even more unusual. The medical emergency code was broadcast over the PA and asked the response team to report to a guest stateroom. Given that HR may need to get involved if a CARE Associate was needed in the event of a serious emergency for guests, Tim called Guest Relations to get more information. None was yet available, but we knew we were now on call.
Fifteen minutes later we felt the ship begin to slow and then begin to trace a large arc at the far end of New York Harbor which we had just reached. Word came down to us that a 97 year old guest, out of the hospital for only one week, had decided that she was not going to miss her cruise. Unfortunately, while unpacking, she lost her balance, fell and hit her head on the bedside table. Although conscious and able to call for assistance, the injury was such that we needed to get her back ashore. We were going back! The Captain came on the PA and advised the rest of our guests of our plan. The departure from New York was now delayed as we cared for this guest in need.
Our team dinner finished we decided to proceed up to Sky Lounge for a ‘sail away’ drink, which had now become a ‘sail to’ beverage. Along the way we answered guests’ questions, but all our passengers were glad that we were making the ‘right decision’ to return the guest to shore for medical care. Along the way we passed the Azamara Journey who was departing on her ‘reverse’ Titanic memorial cruise. We were sure they were baffled to see us steaming back into port as they were leaving. However, we never made it back into port. You see, we weren’t allowed to.
When a cruise ship makes an unplanned detour to pull back into port, especially one like New York, it raises the question as to whether that ship is no longer under the command of its rightful authority. Bottom line question, ‘have we been hijacked and is this a terrorist plot?’ So, we were held short of the bridge we cross under prior to getting close to the dock. We would not be traveling under a heavily traveled bridge in NY Harbor for safety reasons. As we sat in the Sky Lounge we watched as NYPD helicopters circled our ship at very close range to perform a visible inspection and to get a confirming view of our Bridge. Once they determined we were safe, we still weren’t allowed to return to port. Only then did a Coast Guard cutter pull alongside to offload our injured passenger.
I understood the security precautions being taken, but it was still a surreal experience. Finally, with a three hour delay behind us, we turned our ship back around and began our journey again, wondering what other new adventures might be in store on this final Caribbean run. One thing we knew for sure . . .
. . . the adventure continues . . .
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